Bleach Beach Birthday
by Enelya87
Summary: Happy Birthday Ichigo! Behind the scenes of the Bleach on the Beach episode. AUish where characters are actors in Bleach. IchiHime.


D: Have I mentioned before that I completely stink at titles XD

Anyways, on a whim I churned this little thing out. I thought of it few days ago for Ichigo's birthday but then had to change it up quite a bit because of a certain omission that left IchiHime fans peeved, to say the least -_- Anyways, it's not much, but I hope you think it's kind of fun at least.^_^

For those who may not know, Abe Noriyuki is the director of Bleach anime and Pierrot studios is where its produced or whatever... Also the anime began airing in 2004. All useful information for later use.

**Disclaimer:** Bleach (c) Kubo Tite

And Happy Birthday Ichigo!!! :DDD (if only we all got as much love as fictional characters XD )

**Important EDIT:** If you haven't watched Bleach episode 228 _and_ read Bleach on the Beach Special in the manga, this story won't make much sense XD So go do that right quick if you haven't yet and then come back and read! ^_^

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After Unohana's pointed look at Ichigo as she asked if someone could get some ice for the sickly captain, he quickly "volunteered". Renji did too, just in case she might have been looking at him as well, avoiding the chance of incurring her wrath.

Ichigo and Renji sauntered to a café up the beach. "Excuse me!" Ichigo yelled out. "Do you guys have any ice here?"

As soon as they stepped in a cheerful auburn-haired girl whirled around to greet them, "Hai!"

Ichigo stood in shock, his finger pointing at the bikini-clad young woman, opening and closing his mouth several times. As the seconds passed, Orihime's smile began to get a little strained.

"_Inoue!_" somebody stage whispered.

Tiny sounds emerged from Ichigo's mouth, now frozen in mid-jawdrop.

"CUT!"

Orihime relaxed her smile and breathed out, but then her smile completely faded as she watched the furious director marching forward, his round glasses glinting in the sun, rolled script upraised.

"Ku-ro-sa-KI!!!"

_Whap._

"Ow! …the hell? What was that for?!" Ichigo growled, finally awoken from his trance, rubbing the new sore spot on his orange head.

Abe Noriyuki's eye twitched violently, sarcasm dripped heavily from his voice. " 'What was that for?' he asks. Well I'll tell you what that was for! This is the sixteenth take of one line. And what is that line, you may ask. It's an understandably complicated line. Truly, it demands special skill and careful practice to get exactly right."

Ichigo opened his mouth but the director shook the rolled weapon in his face. "One word, Kurosaki. One _freaking_ word! Inoue! …Inoue! Inoue! Inoue!" He wildly whacked Ichigo on the head with each exclamation of the poor, currently fidgeting, girl's name, trying to pound it into his brain. "It's simple! Get your damned hormones under control and say her name already!"

The director turned on his heel and stalked back to his chair, grumbling and motioning to the cameramen to prepare for a retake. He glanced back at the actors and then yelled at one of the giggling interns, "One of you! Find some kind of covering for Orihime-chan!"

As they waited for the eager interns to come scuttling back, Ichigo turned back to his co-workers, rubbing the back of neck sheepishly. "Heh… eh… sorry guys, I don't know what's wrong with me today." Renji snorted beside him and he would have just ignored it except he heard more snorts coming from Ishida and Hitsugaya …and _Chad_?! "O-Oi! Wha-"

"Kurosaki-kun." He looked down to see Orihime standing right in front of him, looking up at him with concern shimmering in her eyes. He swallowed hard. "Are you feeling okay, Kurosaki-kun? Maybe this is too much sun for you. You are looking a little pink."

He shot a glare of doom at the tattooed freak snickering into his hand before turning back to his scantily dressed friend. "A-Ah no, I-Inoue. I'm fine. Really. Just…kind of off today…or something, I guess." _Look at her face. Look at her face. Face. Face. Boobs. NO! Dammit. Face. Face. Face…_

She was giving him an incredulous, worried look and folded her arms underneath her breasts, effectually pushing them higher and fuller. The muscle in his jaw was twitching wildly; he wondered how well those flimsy strings were really holding the two delicate squares of yellow fabric in place.

Just then a panting young male intern came running up with a long pink jacket and handed it to Inoue. "Thank you, Osaka-san!" she smiled brightly, causing the high school boy to blush tomato red.

"You're very welcome, Inoue-san!" he grinned back. Suddenly feeling menace on the side of his face, he turned and almost jumped in fright at the glare Ichigo was sending his way. "G-Gomen!" he said, bowing and backing away quickly, not really sure what he was apologizing for, but knowing his life probably depended on it.

"All right, all right," the director yelled impatiently as Orihime tugged on the jacket that offered some semblance of coverage. "You kids ready?" The young actors turned to look at him and nodded before getting back in place. He sighed and put his chin onto his hand, rolling his other hand in the air, "Ready… action."

At the clapper's snap, Renji and Ichigo trekked back through the sand up to the café. _Okay. You can do this, Kurosaki. Just think of something else…something that'll take your mind off of…things._ He blinked and realized it was his line just before it was too late. "Excuse me! Do you guys have any ice here?" Just as he stepped in he thought of something, Soi Fon's lieutenant, what's-his-name, in a speedo.

Orihime turned around to see a horror stricken Ichigo pointing at her. "Inoue?!"

She grinned bigger and ran up to him. "Yoohoo, Kurosaki-kun!"

His face was still filled with horror, barely looking at her. "Wh-What are you doing here?!"

"I'm the manager!" she replied, her wave faltering slightly.

They continued through the rest of the scene fairly smoothly and finished with a shout from the director. "Cut! …Eh… well, horrified wasn't exactly what I was going for, Kurosaki. But whatever works I suppose. I'm sick of this scene. It's just a filler anyways. Moving on! Let's skip ahead and try that tentacle scene again."

Every actor and stage-help blushed heatedly at the director's flippant words. His assistant director leaned over and nervously whispered, "A-Abe-san, could we maybe not call it the…the _tentacle_ scene? It's so…_ explicit_!"

The director was _not_ in the mood for pussy-footing around. "What the hell else do you expect me to call it? It is what it is! Like I said, positions for the tentacle scene!"

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"KUROSAKI-KUUUN!!!"

"I…I…I…" The entire staff leaned in closer at each 'I' that struggled from Ichigo's gaping mouth that hung from his bright red face. "I…"

"Dammit! Cut! Freaking CUT!" the director screamed as he tore at his hair. "For the love of Buddha, Kurosaki! Pull yourself together!"

"K-Kurosaki-kun?" Ichigo looked back up at Orihime still dangling upside down from the rubber mechanism. He gulped. Her face was turning red from the blood rushing to her head. He felt awful and knew he needed to do this scene before she fainted but… with her wrapped up in those…those tentacles, screaming his name like that was just… well it was more than one man could handle is what it was! A heavy hand clamped on his shoulder, causing him to jump around.

"A-Abe-san, look, I…"

"Kurosaki," he interrupted with a big empty yet ominous smile and another hard pat, this time on his back. "Walk with me, talk with me." They'd strolled away from the bulk of the cast before Abe Noriyuki spoke again, his arm around Ichigo's shoulders. "Look, son. I realize that Orihime-chan is a very attractive young lady." He felt Ichigo stiffen under his arm but ignored it. "And apparently this is the first time you've seen her in a bathing suit."

"It is not!" he protested. The director raised his eyebrows above his lenses and Ichigo sighed, "Well… her swimsuits are normally more… well they're not as… Dammit!" he suddenly exclaimed, running his hands through his hair. "Did you have to put her in such a tiny bikini?!"

Noriyuki swallowed a chuckle. "But _I _didn't put her in 'such a tiny bikini.' _He_ did," he said, pointing back at a grinning Kubo Tite standing on the sidelines. The director watched his star actor scowl darkly at the mangaka before speaking again, "You've known this girl for five years and why you haven't made a move on her by now is beyond me."

He waved away Ichigo's blushing objection. "But if you're just now realizing that you like her, do it on your own time!" His grip on Ichigo's shoulder tightened. "We're on a schedule here, Kurosaki, and that means finishing filming by today and we still have two scenes left that we should have been done with hours ago but you can't keep your head out of your crotch long enough to say one freaking word!" the director finished, panting heavily. Thankfully he'd kept his rising temper to a loud hissing whisper so none of the others could hear his extremely embarrassing monologue.

"But..."

"No! I don't wanna hear any excuses. Just get your ass out there and do your job or so help me I'll sue you for all the ulcers I _know_ you're giving me!"

Ichigo's shoulders slumped and he nodded somewhat submissively.

"Good boy. Now let's get back there and show me some acting… Hell, I won't even ask for _that_ much. Just say her name in monotone for all I care, just _say_ the freaking line."

The rest of the scene went fairly well until Orihime had to lick at the watermelon juice on her arm and then Ichigo had to change his wardrobe after gushing nose-blood all over himself.

Abe pinched the bridge of his nose as his posse asked him what to do. "We'll just film the next part of the scene and cut them in together later. And make a note to fix Ichigo's blushing. You can do that digitally or whatever, right?"

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Orihime looked at the dry sand and frowned before turning to Rangiku who was sucking on a popsicle, "I wonder if there aren't some buckets somewhere. You have to make the sand wet first."

Rangiku stopped licking and grinned knowingly, "Oh you don't need buckets for that…At least _we_ don't " She plopped down next to Orihime, in full sensei-mode. "Squeeze your breasts together like this… Now scoop up some water in there… Then straddle the place you wanna make wet… And slooowly let the water dribble from between your breasts."

"Like this?" her eager student asked brightly.

"Yeah! You're good at this! Let it dribble down your bellybutton juust right."

"…"

Rangiku cleared her throat. "I said… Let it dribble down your bellybutton juust right."

"…"

The two girls finally turned to look back at Ichigo… who was salivating and bug-eyed.

"CUT!" The director bounded from his chair and flung the script to the ground, stomping on it repeatedly before finally throwing his hands up in despair. "I give up! Kurosaki! You are out of this scene! OUT!"

Orihime's eyes grew even bigger, "But, Abe-san…"

"No! No buts! Kurosaki, you are _out_ of this scene!" He waved his hands at the orange-headed boy, apparently attempting to get him off the set via telekinesis.

"Hey! Now just wait you wait a minute, Noriyuki!" Kubo shouted, brows furrowed, arms across his chest. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"What the hell I'm doing is _trying_ to finish on schedule!" The director growled back.

"We will! Just give the boy another chance at the scene!"

"No! Absolutely not! We've gotta wrap this up within the hour and then we still have to send it to the editing room! We don't have _time_ to give him another chance!"

"Time! Schedule! Your damned schedule keeps messing with my damned story!" Kubo yelled in frustration, mangaka and director now in each other faces, nose to nose.

"That schedule is what keeps the money rolling in you dimwit!"

"My manga is what gives you the need for a schedule that keeps the money rolling in you old… _Inferiorchunky_!"

The director blinked and stepped back. "Inferiorchunky? What the hell?"

Kubo waved his hand in a dismissive arc in front of him, "Nevermind! You've messed with it too many times, Abe! I will _no_t have it changed again!"

"For the love of all that is holy, it's just a _filler_!"

"It's a _canon_ filler!" Kubo shot back, inwardly horrified at his fandom word usage.

"From an _extra_ chapter!"

"A chapter that I had to throw in because _you_ kept cutting out parts from my story and now the very reason I made the thing in the first place is being cut out of the episode that is _finally_ being made from it!" The poor mangaka was practically shrieking at the top of his voice.

"We agreed to fix all that with a certain hand-holding scene! Will you not be satisfied until they're kissing!?"

The implied couple blushed furiously; because of course the entire set could hear their conversation.

Kubo was seething and growling through his teeth, "This is _not_ a romance manga."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard you say that before, but you sure are damned concerned about your romance for a shounen mangaka!"

The two stood there, glaring at each other for several tensely silent moments, the entire cast practically falling on their ears as they leaned forward in anticipation.

"Fine!" Kubo finally shouted. "The hell with you! Do whatever you want, like you would do anything other than that. I'll show you! I'll make _sure_ you can't omit it next time." The cast collectively watched the mangaka stomp off, muttering to himself about 'emotional reunions' and 'fair maidens bestowing grateful kisses on rescuers' and something else about 'maybe I should make him realize it wasn't a dream' and another thing about 'sending all of Pierrot to burn in the flames of Ryūjin Jakka'…

As soon as the mangaka was out of sight, all eyes turned to Ichigo who then nervously scratched his cheek with his index finger, apologizing for the umpteenth time that day, "Eh…heh…uh…sorry guys…I, uh…I'm just not up on my game today." He was met with some glares, some looks of sympathy, but mostly leering glances and snickers behind cupped hands.

He felt a tug on his sleeve. "Kurosaki-kun?" He turned to face the woman who was the cause of all his sudden problems, staring up at him, innocently unaware. "Are you sure you're all right? Maybe you need some water."

_Water? Water dribbling down her belly and into my…_ "No!" he suddenly cried jumping back from her. "I mean…yes! Actually. Thanks, Inoue! I'll go get it myself. See you guys later!" He waved them off and quickly scurried away.

"Well." Orihime put her hands on her hips. "What was that all about? He sure is acting strangely today. I hope everything's all right. I guess it's just the heat." She turned to a laughing Rangiku behind her.

"Oh he's heated alright. Definitely heated," she snickered to herself.

Orihime frowned. "Really? Maybe I should lay some ice cubes on his body or something." This sent Rangiku into hysterics. Orihime thought of asking her what was so funny, but then remembered something important. "Oh! Rangiku! Is everything set up for later?" she asked earnestly.

Rangiku settled herself down after several struggling moments, wiping away the tears. "Hai, hai. Everything's ready for your main man."

"Ra-Rangiku! He's not my main…my main…"

Rangiku chuckled again and placed a motherly pat on Orihime's cheek. "Whatever you say, sweetie."

They turned at the director shouting for them and Nanao to come over, and headed back to where he and others were standing with scripts covered in scribbles. Orihime tried to focus but found it difficult as she kept worrying about 'later'. She really wanted everything to be perfect for him, especially when he was having such a bad time of it on today of all days.

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Ichigo groaned as he rubbed at his throbbing head, heading towards Orihime's apartment later that evening. What was he doing? He really wasn't in the mood to celebrate at the weekly cast party they always held at her place. But imagining that disappointed look on her face the next day when he didn't show up was more than enough to propel him through the streets of Tokyo to her building, the walk giving him time to clear his head and mull things over.

_You've known this girl for five years and why you haven't made a move on her by now is beyond me._

Yeah, well, it was beyond him too. Sure he'd noticed her when he'd been just a young 15-year-old punk kid, suddenly thrown into this shinigami business and then immediately thrown into the acting business; he'd have to have been dead not to notice her. She was gorgeous. But…he had a goal in mind, a job, _two_ jobs, to focus on, and he'd been focused on that for years. And then… the last couple of years they'd been in more and more episodes together. More scenes together, and more time spent just chatting backstage. His careers were on cruise control and now he could take his foot off the pedal and relax a bit. Relaxation led to greater awareness. Awareness of her.

_But if you're just now realizing that you like her, do it on your own time!_

Just now? Nah. He'd realized it for a while…and it was a little more than 'like'. And that scared him a little…mostly 'cause he didn't know how the hell he was going to go about doing anything about it. He'd never dated before, never had the time or much interest, at least not in the flaky actresses and wolfish fangirls that threw themselves at him. But now…

He raked his fingers through his hair and blew out his breath. Now he had a little more time and a lot more interest, but what he didn't have was a clue. And today…dammit…she looked incredible. And, he saw much to his irritation, a lot of others noticed as well. That had only spurred him on, fueling his already hot flames. He had to at least tell her how he felt before some other nutjob got to her.

Suddenly he found himself staring up at her apartment building. Maybe tonight. He felt the instant retreat within himself at the thought but scowled at himself, forcing himself to buck up. Why wait? There was no reason to, and there was every reason to act now. The Ichigo he was playing may be a dense 16-year-old kid, but he sure wasn't. He was a 19-year-old man and… wait… no, something about that wasn't right.

He blinked. Today's his birthday. He'd totally forgotten. So he was a 20-year-old man. Damn, he was gettin' old. Yeah, definitely no time like the present.

With that thought in mind, he pushed on the buzzer, feeling the intensity and focus that had always gone into fighting and acting, felt it center in on one girl with long flowing hair and eyes the color of rain.

"Moshi-moshi!"

He smiled. "Inoue! It's Ichigo."

"Oh! Hai! Kurosaki-kun! Come right up!"

Minutes later he was in front of her door that suddenly swung open to reveal a beautifully smiling young woman. "Come in, Kurosaki-kun!" He smiled crookedlyl at her and walked in, barely able to kick off his shoes and take in her delicately flowing, pale yellow dress as she tugged him down her entryway.

As soon as they rounded the corner to her large living area they were met with an explosion of shouts of happy birthday's and well wishes and confetti pops and various noisemakers. His mouth fell open in shock. How the hell had they remembered it was his birthday when he hadn't even recalled it till a few minutes ago?! He looked down at the gleeful woman next to him. Well… of course she always remembered.

Of course? He blinked. When had she become an 'of course'? She'd always remembered his birthdays …and various other details about him and his life…but could it mean…possibly, that she…

"Kurosaki-kun," she beamed up at him. "Happy birthday!"

He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face in return; he never could. "Thanks, Inoue." He turned to the rest of the gathering crowding her apartment. "And thanks, everybody."

The group rushed forward and practically smothered him. Finally Rangiku found her way towards him. "Guess whaaat, Ichigo-kuun?!" He winced at her sing-song voice.

"What is it, Rangiku-san?"

She lifted a sake bottle she'd hidden behind her back and swung it in front of his nose. "You're legal!" she cried happily.

He wrinkled his nose and backed his face away. "Yeah, well, still not interested. Besides, not everyone here is legal." He pushed the bottle away from him.

Rangiku pouted. "Geez you're no fun. Not even one little sip? Just to commemorate it?"

"No."

"Awww."

He managed to glance at Orihime pleadingly and she quickly obliged. "Kurosaki-kun! Let's open your presents!" She managed to grab him by the hand and gently pull him towards a large table overflowing with gifts.

"Holy damn. Uh…wow, guys. You didn't have to do all this."

Rukia suddenly chuckled. "Well don't say that with such appreciation in your voice yet, you may really wish we hadn't after you actually take a look at your gifts."

He scowled at the short shinigami turned actress, albeit a little worriedly. He then turned and began tackling the heap of shiny paper and gauzy bows.

They were certainly…interesting. Apparently they all thought he had a sudden need for all things pertaining to alcohol. Shot glasses. Martini glasses. Margarita glasses complete with margarita maker (from Chad, of course). Shakers. And more alcohol than he would ever know what to do with.

And then there was the huge gift bag from Rangiku. He felt nervous even before he touched the thing. Carefully he peeked in, pushing aside the lavender tissue paper. Plain white boxes. Hmm, didn't look too threatening. He pulled the big one out and carefully lifted the lid, only to quickly shut it closed again, his face beet red.

"Awww. Ichigo-kun! Show the rest of the group what I got you!" She was pouting again. But no way was he going to show the rest of them that embarrassing thing. What the hell was he going to do with a black and red lacy lingerie set?! He shoved it back into the bag and reluctantly pulled out box after awkward box. Where the hell did she find black lacy boxers?! And he had a feeling those Trojans had nothing to do with huge wooden horses…well, maybe just the wood part. And he couldn't even _begin_ to mentally process the rest of her bag of tricks.

But then Rukia and Renji's gift of chappy pajamas with a matching toothbrush hadn't been much less embarrassing.

Finally he'd drudged through the rest of the gifts and Orihime announced that food was ready. Everyone cheered and ran towards the kitchen. Something that wouldn't have happened not too long ago before she finally learned to cook normally…better than normally actually. Her concoctions were still unique, but incredibly good… so good she could probably own her own restaurant or bakery. He felt himself puff up with pride.

"Kurosaki-kun? Are you coming?"

He glanced up at her peeking around the corner at him. "Oh! Hai, Inoue!" As he followed her he frowned and realized he hadn't gotten a gift from her but then quickly shrugged it off. Holding this party for him and cooking mounds of food was more than enough. Actually, her very existence was more than enough.

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Hours later the party finally fizzled out and the last guests were leaving; which was actually just Gin picking up a very drunk Rangiku from the couch and smilingly carrying her out the door.

Orihime cheerfully waved them goodbye and rushed back to her living room to see Ichigo picking up various plates and glasses. "Oh! Kurosaki-kun! You don't have to do that! Really, you should go home and relax for the rest of your birthday."

He looked up and half-smiled at her. "I'm helping you clean up no matter what you say and besides," he nodded his head at the clock above her mantle. "It's not my birthday anymore."

She looked at the clock and nodded with a small frown. "I guess you're right. It's not your birthday anymore…Oh! Oh…Oh no!"

He looked up in surprise at her sudden outburst. "Inoue? What's wrong?"

"Oh no! Kurosaki-kun! I'm so sorry!" she fretted.

He scowled deeply at her. "What the hell do you have to be sorry about?"

She frantically waved her hands in front of her. "I didn't give you your birthday present on your birthday!"

"What? But you held this party for me."

"No, no. I hold a party here every week."

"Yeah, but not near as big as this one was," he insisted.

"Well…yes, but still… Wait here, Kurosaki-kun!" And she ran off to where he supposed her bedroom was. He gulped hard. And scowled at himself. Was he twenty or thirteen? He thought of her bedroom again and gulped again… apparently he was thirteen.

Almost immediately she came bounding back into the room with a large rectangle wrapped in strawberry wrapping paper and tied with an orange ribbon. He smiled. Every year she used the same clashing combination, but his birthdays wouldn't be the same anymore without it.

She thrust it nervously into his hands like she always did and he took it and thanked her before opening it like he always did as she lightly scolded him about thanking her before he even saw what he'd gotten her and then he told her he'd love anything she gave him. They went through their little annual ritual like normal, except for the first time he noticed a deep blush in her cheeks. Had that always been there?

He carefully untied the ribbon and hooked his finger under the folds, breaking the tape. He lifted off the paper in one piece and then promptly dropped it in shock when he saw what lay beneath. His eyes grew huge as he ran his fingers over the book.

"Inoue," he breathed. "How did you…?" He lifted his eyes to her anxious ones. "Inoue, this is incredible." He looked back at the title, _Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies Histories & Tragedies_. Swallowing, he carefully peeled back a few soft, yellowing pages to check the date. Sure enough, it read, _1623_. "Inoue," he said again, still breathy. "This…this is a First Folio! An original copy of the first published compilation of Shakespeare's works!" She nodded sheepishly. "Something that happens to be worth _millions_ of dollars!" She bit her lip. He knew she was well off…so was he…but…this was impossible even with both their extra earnings combined. "How did you…?" he tried to ask again.

She shifted on her feet. "You remember that an uncle of mine passed away last year?" He nodded. "Well, he owned one of the original copies. It'd been passed down through my family and then I inherited it."

"You…" he stared at her in astonishment. "But why give it to me?"

She chewed at her lip again. "Because…because I knew Kurosaki-kun loved Shakespeare and I knew you'd love it and it'd be special to you and because…you're very important to me, Kurosaki-kun, so I just…wanted you to have it."

He stood there, stunned speechless, watching her study the shifting of her feet. Finally, carefully, he set down the book on the chair next to them and stepped forward to grasp her arms in his hands. "Inoue." He looked intensely into her expressive eyes. "Inoue, you're... you're very important to me too." She chewed at her lip.

He accepted it then. Accepted what this 'more than like' thing was. He loved her, and if he wasn't too far off, from the look in her eyes, she loved him too. With a boldness that must come from advancing age he pulled her against his chest and gently captured her lips with his.

She didn't hesitate, she wasn't shocked. She simply leaned against him in return as if this was the most natural thing in the world. As if she'd been waiting for him to do this for years; which is exactly what he probably should have done long ago.

He felt her hands and arms hug him close to her as he caressed her lips. She eagerly moved against him in return, matching him with everything he gave to her. He urged harder, hungry to know more about her. She uninhibitedly opened up to him and let him explore, searching him in return.

Minutes passed before they finally broke apart, breathing hard in each others arms. He pressed her head to his chest and rested his chin on her hair. They could say the words, he supposed, but they didn't need to. They knew. Maybe they'd both known for a long time.

Suddenly he chuckled and she raised her head to look at him bemusedly. He stroked his knuckles against her cheek. "You sure are one hell of a gift giver."

She grinned and giggled back at him, "Well I guess you might as well not even try when my birthday rolls around."

He laughed outright at her sass. "I accept that challenge," he said, pressing a kiss to her hair. She leaned back into him with a satisfied sigh, and he wrapped his arms around her tighter.

For a birthday that he'd almost forgotten, it sure had turned out pretty damn well.

:

:

Three days later Pierrot Studios was under siege.

Abe Noriyuki was trying, unsuccessfully, not to seem like he was completely freaking out.

Kubo Tite was leaning against a wall in the conference room, looking very smug.

"What are we going to _do_?!" the practically hysterical director cried. "It sounds like those crazy fans are gonna break down the doors any second!"

Kubo narrowed his eyes dangerously at Abe Noriyuki. "Those "crazy fans" are the ones that keep your pot belly securely in place."

The director barely managed a glare back at Kubo before he began pacing the long room again. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks and whirled to point a shaking finger at the couple on the other side of the room, namely the male one. "_You_! This is all _your_ fault! You and your ignored hormones! Do something!"

Ichigo scowled at the crazed director. "What the hell do you think I can do?! Besides, you're the one that completely changed the scene around after only two takes!"

Abe threw hands into the air. "Well how was I supposed to know that half of Tokyo was going to go into a wild frenzy because their precious "IchiHime moment" or whatever was cut out!"

"You cut out enough of them over the years that they finally snapped, director-san." Kubo stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh shut up and would somebody do something already!"

Ichigo opened his mouth to send a scathing comment towards his boss when suddenly an idea occurred to him. He grinned. It was an embarrassing one, but at least it would keep the building from falling down over their heads.

"Ichigo? Wha-Whoa! Where are we going?!" Orihime cried as he took her hand and raced out of the room towards the elevators.

An astonished author and director stared at each other for a moment before curiously racing out to follow the couple.

As soon as Ichigo and Orihime stepped out of the elevators, hand in hand, the front, which was covered entirely in glass and swarming with angry fans, suddenly stilled before they almost immediately began cheering and beating even harder on the glass, shaking it; the poor security guards lifted their arms over their heads, sure that the glass would coming crashing down any moment.

The couple looked out nervously. Ichigo had intended to go out there but…another thought suddenly occurred to him. "Oi! Abe-san! We have a camera that's connected to the huge screen out there, right?" The director nodded. "Well go get it!" He nodded again, still standing. "Now!" At Ichigo's command he obediently fled to the phone behind the receptionist desk, calling for a certain camera.

Two minutes later, cameramen and a large camera hurried into the large lobby and began looking around, confused and a little scared by the masses outside the glass. Ichigo motioned for them to come over to where they were and set up close to them. As soon as they gave the sign that they were rolling, Ichigo glanced outside and saw the both of them, huge and on the side of a tall skyscraper. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry, but he straightened his back and turned to Orihime. "Ready?" He'd explained his plan to her while they'd been waiting. She nodded with a shaky but big smile.

They both turned to the camera and waved awkwardly, hearing the squeals of delight from outside, and then they turned and looked at each other. Once again a sudden hush fell over the mob as they waited in hopeful anticipation.

Slowly Ichigo leaned over Orihime till their lips were almost touching; he could feel the heavy tension through the glass. Then without warning, he kissed her. The crowd remained reverently silent as they kissed. It lasted only a few short moments and then they parted.

Still nothing from outside. Orihime smiled bashfully at Ichigo and he pulled her into his chest, stroking her hair. The screen went black.

And then it burst. The happy cries so loud they alone almost had the power to send the glass flying into millions of tiny shards. Orihime and Ichigo apprehensively watched the crowd until finally the squeals subsided and the crowd began to shift and move. Satisfied and happy fans waved through the glass at the embracing couple and gradually the streets of Tokyo returned to normal.

A shocked director turned to Kubo. "Well, there goes your no-reciprocated-romance-until-the-end policy, Tite."

Kubo just stood, grinning widely at the couple a few yards away. "Yeah, whatever."

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_Das Ende_

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Why am I suddenly using German at the end of my stories? .......I don't know XD I guess cause nobody else seems to be using it XD

Anyways, hope you liked and thanks for reading!!! *hugs*


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